 About Landmark
Landmark Services Cooperative is
a member-owned cooperative business providing the benefits
of volume buying as well as access to essential agricultural
and energy equipment and services. For more than 75 years,
Landmark has been providing agronomy, energy, animal
nutrition, grain, retail and transportation products
and services to its more than 15,000 members in South
Central Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. Verity Resources,
LLC — a
partnership between Landmark Service Cooperative and
AgQuest — provides agricultural
financing and insurance products and services.
Landmark and
its nearly 400 employees have received national recognition
for excellence in products and services. Landmark Agronomy
was named the ARA 2007 Ag Retailer of the Year. In
2008 Landmark Energy was awarded the CHS Grand Summit
Award and the Animal Nutrition Division and its individual
feed mills were awarded the Dedicated Quality Award
from Land O'Lakes/Purina Feed.
Landmark's Beginnings
In 1933 we came together so that farmers in Dane County could pool their money to get discounted rates on fuel.
Today, we continue to encourage people to join us, so we can all reap the discounts of buying cooperatively.
Since those days in 1933, we have
joined forces with our brother and sister cooperatives,
merging together to make a cooperative large enough to
buy the bulk quantities, at the prices you need.
Although we have had many names
over the years, we are still the same cooperative that
continues to save you money by buying cooperatively.
Thank you for standing with us.
History of Landmark Services Cooperative
May 18, 1933 |
Dane County Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Company was founded by Floyd Morhaus, Edwin Swenson, Carl Frydenleund, S.H. Klock and Ole Ihlund. Edwin Swenson was the first manager, serving until 1943. |
1934 |
Total sales were $55,390. |
1935 |
Total sales were $76,688. |
1936 |
The cooperative sold petroleum products and farm machinery. |
1938 |
Cooperative directors included President M.E. Smithback, Vice President L.E. Cole, Secretary O.K. Anderson, Claude Lyons and C.K. Onsgard. |
1939 |
Stockholders total 592. Patrons total 1600. |
1943 |
Roy Kelly becomes manager. |
1950 |
O.K. Anderson is president; sales reach $349,342. |
1956 |
Galen Hartung begins 34 years as general manager. |
1958 |
New feed mill added. |
1960 |
Directors include O.K. Anderson, Henry Kalcheuer, Allen Felland, Ronald Schultz and Roger Olson. |
1963 |
Cooperative sales exceed $1 million. |
1965 |
Fertilizer plant built in Cottage Grove. |
1967 |
Cooperative erects 500,000 bushel grain bin; Tom Stolen is president. |
1972 |
Old Cottage Grove State Bank building became new Cottage Grove office. |
1979 |
First in-house computer installed. Sales hit $20 million. John Krebs is president. |
1984 |
Current cooperative office facility constructed on site of former home of Wisconsin Governor William Taylor. |
1990 |
Galen Hartung retires. Larry Swalheim becomes general manager. |
1992 |
The Cottage Grove convenience store completed. |
1995 |
Jim Bradley is president. Sales reach $36 million. Cooperative changes its name to Cottage Grove Cooperative. |
1997 |
Cottage Grove Cooperative and Rio Cooperative merge. |
1999 |
Cottage Grove Cooperative acquires Columbus Cooperative. |
2000 |
John Blaska is president. Sales hit $67 million. |
2001 |
Cooperative acquires agronomy facilities in Juda, Edgerton, Milton and Harrison, Illinois. |
2003 |
Cottage Grove Cooperative and Union Cooperative in Evansville combine to form Landmark Services Cooperative. New mill is completed at Cottage Grove. |
2004 |
Completed 2 million-gallon liquid fertilizer terminal at Evansville. |
2005 |
Acquisition of Southern Wisconsin Grain increases grain storage capacity to almost 9 million bushels. |
2006 |
Landmark becomes a leader in marketing E85 and soy bio-diesel fuels. |
2007 |
Sales reach $235 million with record earnings of $11 million. Cooperative acquires Agri-Service Inc. in Belleville. |
2008 |
Cooperative celebrates 75th Anniversary. |
|
Landmark Services Cooperative merges with Grand River Cooperative of Markesan, WI. |
|
Sales reach $332 million with record earnings of $14.8 million. |
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